Filmmaker Nagraj Manjule, known for films like Sairat and Fandry, is set to direct a series titled Matka King, inspired by true events and the life of the Karachi-born Ratan Khatri, the founding father of gambling in India. Set between the 1960s and the 1990s, the series will capture the culture of Mumbai’s working classes of the ’60s and ’70s and will show how money moves through the informal economy and influences a nation’s power structure.
Thrilled to be donning the showrunner’s mantle, Nagraj Manjule says, “I am looking forward to this new opportunity of being able to tell a very unique and captivating story on OTT and partnering with Sid Roy Kapur who shares a common creative vision.”
He adds, “I truly hope that the viewers enjoy the world of the ‘Matka King’ as much as we are enjoying the process of creating it.”
Siddharth Roy Kapur, who is producing the series under the banner of Roy Kapur Films, shares, “Nagraj Manjule’s ‘Sairat’ is one of my favourite movies of the last decade and I’m thrilled to be collaborating with him to tell this fascinating story that we hope will resonate with viewers across India and the world.”
Meanwhile, Manjule’s Sairat went on to become one of the most popular Marathi films after its release. It was also remade in Hindi. While the original film starred Rinku Rajguru and Akash Thosar, the Hindi version had Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter in the lead.
(With IANS inputs)
